Site Search Navigation

Site Navigation

Site Mobile Navigation

Supported by

What a Card

By Leslie Wayne October 10, 2007 11:50 amOctober 10, 2007 11:50 am

The Richardson campaign’s baseball card.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former pitcher for Tufts University who once wanted to play pro ball, has “2008 All Star” baseball cards printed up that feature him poised to pitch as part of his campaign literature.

Where most ball players are svelte, the Richardson baseball card features a somewhat paunchy Mr. Richardson standing in the “Field of Dreams,” near Dyersville, Iowa, where the 1989 baseball classic was filmed. His uniform consists of a blue T-shirt and jeans and he sports a pitchers glove and a baseball, looking like he is about to throw.

Mr. Richardson’s campaign has relied on humor to get his message across, and the card does not disappoint. The back of the card is headlined “Career Highlights” and “positions played” includes former UN Ambassador, Congressman and Energy Secretary. Under “wins,” it lists such highlights as balancing the New Mexico state budget. And, “saves” including rescuing US servicemen and hostages in Iraq and North Korea. The card even includes his birthdate: Nov. 15, 1947.

Yet the card also memorializes one of Mr. Richardson’s more unforgettable moments on the campaign trail. On the day the photo was taken, in his first time at bat on the Field of Dreams, Mr. Richardson hit a screaming grounder down the first base line — and straight into a photographer standing by.

This isn’t the first time Mr. Richardson has been on a politically themed baseball card. Last year, the New Mexico Republican Party released baseball cards with the governor’s face grafted onto the body of a pitcher in mid-windup, that said “Never Drafted, Never Played.” The flip side said he bats liberal and throws curves.

MISTAKE: A ‘southpaw’ in baseball refers to a left-handed pitcher. This photograph shows Bill Richardson about to pitch with his right hand. Either the article is in error or Bill switched arms for the shot.

Really the photographer for this card oughta be keelhauled for a couple hours or similarly punished. Lousy photo. 1) ball incorrectly in right hand, 2) unflattering and non-athletic pose, 3) should have been an action shot, 4) ambiguous expression, 5) somehow the way his arms are posed he looks like a thalidomide victim.

So I vow to completely disregard this poor photo and focus instead on Richardon’s intelligence, experience, policies, and charisma.

#4, if he showed up in a flightsuit with a coffee can stuck in the crotch and covorted across the flight deck of an aircraft carrier pretending to have landed the jet he flew in on, would you vote for him then?

President Obama drew criticism on Thursday when he said, “we don’t have a strategy yet,” for military action against ISIS in Syria. Lawmakers will weigh in on Mr. Obama’s comments on the Sunday shows.Read more…